There are common symptoms that distinguish a sick animal from a healthy one. A sick dog behaves differently from a healthy dog – this is the effect of the disturbance caused by the disease. Often, various outward signs are immediately visible.
How does a dog’s behaviour change?
A sick dog often becomes sad and lethargic, moves less, tries to find a quiet and dark corner to hide in, and is difficult to call to you. The reverse behaviour is also common: the animal becomes very restless and even aggressive, snarling, not finding its own space, and moving restlessly around the house. Sometimes a sick dog loses its motor coordination and becomes clumsy. Loss of appetite, lethargy or sleeplessness, rapid fatigue? This can also be a sign of illness.
Discharge and coat
The coat of a sick dog becomes dull, looks tangled and may start to bristle badly. The skin may change colour (turn yellowish) and lose elasticity.
Mucus, abscesses and other discharges from the eyes, nose, mouth and other parts of the dogacne sites signal disease. Yellowish discharge occurs when the liver is damaged, colourless discharge indicates possible anaemia, bluish discharge is a sign of a circulatory system disorder, bloody discharge is a sign of poisoning or serious infection.
Nose, eyes and oral cavity – what to look out for?
The nose of a sick dog is hot, dry and the skin is often cracked. A dry crust forms on the nose, and the nasopharynx develops abscesses and mucoid secretions.
The eyes of a dog suffering from the disease are often sunken, the eyelids drooping, yellowish and glutinous. The eyelids are itchy and discharge appears, and the third eyelid may only half cover the eye.
The gums and tongue of an unhealthy animal may be covered with ulcers or caries. The dog has an unpleasant smell in its mouth and produces a lot of saliva. The mucous membranes become pale and may turn yellow or bluish.
Digestive and urinary disorders
Constipation or diarrhoea, vomiting, gas accumulation in the intestines, painful bowel movements, and a lot of other symptoms are commonStamping. Worms, fur, etc. may appear in the feces. If a dog’s faeces come out with drops of blood, this is a sign of serious health problems. Black coloured faeces indicate intestinal or stomach bleeding.
A sick dog may start to urinate more often, may be unable to hold its urine or may stop urinating altogether. Urination may become painful. the normal colour of the urine (yellowish) and the amount of urine also changes. The dog may feel pain when touching the waist. When walking, movements become restricted and the back is arched. A sweet smell from the mouth may also indicate kidney disease.
The most common diseases that cause problems with food passage and urination are inflammation of the bladder, tumour, prostatic hypertrophy.
Dog breathing and lymphatic system in disease
The respiratory rate changes: it becomes shallow, infrequent (painful breathing) or, conversely, frequent. dog coughing, kimiand barks and hisses. Shortness of breath or cough. Shortness of breath is a common accompaniment of over-exertion, pulmonary emphysema (the result of poisoning) or pneumonia.Heartworms, anaemia, pleurisy, heart failure all cause breathing difficulties. Older dogs with heart failure often cough.
Lymph nodes that enlarge speak of an inflammatory process in the body. The most obvious indicators are lymph nodes under the jaw. You need to know how to find them and how to feel for them.
Thirst, vomiting, jaundice and profuse salivation – what do they indicate?
Increased thirst is common in dogs with hydatid disease, diabetes, kidney failure and other kidney diseases. If thirst is accompanied by physical weakness and a foul odour from the mouth, the dog is probably suffering from uremia.
Vomiting is the result of poisoning. For example, poisonous plants infested with worms. Sometimes vomiting fromshouting at vehicles driving by. Physical weakness accompanied by vomiting is a sign of a blockage in the gastrointestinal tract and a foreign body in it.
Profuse drooling is caused by foreign bodies in the oesophagus, damage to the mouth and tongue, sun or heat stroke, poisoning and isolated liver diseases. The most terrible disease that causes profuse salivation is rabies.
What does a dog’s posture say?
Remember that a healthy dog will sleep or rest in a relaxed posture with its limbs stretched out and its body erect. A sick animal will try to position itself in a position that will reduce painful or unpleasant sensations. To facilitate breathing, which is aggravated by heart disease, the dog stands with its front paws spread wide. Ureteral stone disease may cause the dog to limp with the left or right hind paw depending on which kidney is affected. When injured, the dog tries to keep the affected part of the body elevated.